J & Tony’s Discount Cured Meats and Negroni Warehouse

On our list of the best cocktail bars in San Diego.

A former corner store space in San Diego's East Village holds CH Projects' aperitivo bar, run by chef Jason McLeod and beverage director Anthony Schmidt — the J and Tony in the name. A bowl of parmesan scooped from a wheel starts the table, followed by cured meat and cheese boards, Italian salads, and sandwiches, poured alongside three riffs on the Negroni plus an Americano and a Garibaldi. The honeycomb-style backbar was already built into the room when the group took it over, and now doubles as bottle storage. A patio added during the pandemic doubled the footprint and gave the aperitivo concept its missing piece.